Chapter 453 It's just road rage!

Not far west of Kuala Lumpur is Tamsui Port. Many ships departing from Tamsui Port follow familiar routes to go north or south. Ships going north will head to Japan, Korea, or the north of Daxia.

Fleets heading to Southeast Asia, India, and even the Red Sea would sail south, forming one of the busiest shipping routes in the world today.

According to Wu Shengze, the Coast Guard's speedboats frequent this busy shipping route.

The steamship "Steam Age" was nearly twice the size of a giant galleon, and it was very eye-catching as soon as it appeared on the course, especially the large black smokestack between its four mainmasts, which aroused the curiosity of all the nearby ships.

The Coast Guard ship was naturally very curious and soon cut in from the side to run alongside the "Steam Age" ship. The two main masts were full of people pointing and gesturing at Qin Mo.

"They really don't care about appearances! They're so openly investigating. It seems you're right, Uncle Wu, they are indeed quite arrogant."

Qin Mo was also angry as she watched the Coast Guard officers brazenly probing her ship. This kind of behavior was extremely annoying at sea because pirates loved this kind of reconnaissance. They would first come aboard to see how many people were on your ship and if there were any dangerous spots. Once they determined that they could take advantage of this easy target, they would swing down from the mast and start looting.

Therefore, when encountering unfamiliar ships at sea, people usually keep their distance to avoid misunderstandings. The behavior of the Coast Guard officer, who got so close and even climbed the mast in a pirate-like manner, can be considered provocative and could easily escalate tensions between the two sides.

"Your Highness, I have always tried my best to restrain my men and not want to lower myself to their level. However, the other side is becoming more and more audacious. They often rely on their small and fast ships to pass right by the bow of our merchant ships, forcing our merchant ships to slow down and eventually fall behind."

Wu Shengze was worried that Qin Mo wouldn't understand, so he had several of the accompanying captains demonstrate with wooden blocks. Qin Mo waved his hand and said, "Isn't it just road rage and cutting off other cars? I get it!"

Large merchant ships, especially clipper sailing ships, become slower to turn as they travel at full speed.

Moreover, once a turn occurs, the ship's speed will drop significantly due to the angle of the sails. To regain full speed, the sails must be constantly adjusted to match the new course at the optimal angle.

If the Coast Guard vessels keep harassing you like they're cutting you off, even from the bow, unless you just recklessly ram them, your speed will definitely decrease.

But if they really collide, things will get serious. The relationship between the Great Xia and the Great Yuan is very delicate right now, and neither side wants to break the deadlock. So both sides are doing their best to fight each other to avoid a collision.

Qin Mo watched the Coast Guard speedboat getting closer and closer and said with annoyance, "Use flag signals. Our boat is difficult to maneuver. Make them get out of the way, or we will not be responsible for any collisions!"

"...Your Highness, they generally can't understand such complex flag signals. They're unwilling to learn our official alphabet, and they even disdain learning our flag signals!"

"...Then let's shout it out. What a bunch of ignorant and closed-minded people."

Watching the crew members shouting at the top of their lungs through megaphones, Qin Mo felt incredibly frustrated. The flag signals used by the Dai-ō had been in use for many years, and many Korean and Japanese ships that frequently sailed this route had learned them or were in the process of learning them. Yet, the nearest ship, the Great Xia, seemed to disdain learning this essential maritime communication method.

The loudspeaker announcement was quite effective; the Coast Guard's speedboat changed course, but instead of turning away from the "Steam Age," it accelerated and moved closer to the "Steam Age."

"Everyone calm down. First mate, you tell the engine room to slow down and pressurize the boilers. Be ready to receive orders at any time. The rest of you, do not move. Let the sailors go up to the deck and start yelling at me."

Qin Mo saw several accompanying naval captains rolling up their sleeves, ready to jump onto the opposite ship. Knowing they wanted to show off their manly prowess in front of him, he quickly stopped them and then directed the "Steam Age" to slowly slow down and begin digging a pit for the other side.

As the Coast Guard's fast boat was about to encounter the "Steam Age," it began to accelerate using a magic array, cutting in an arc from right to left along the "Steam Age's" massive bow and reaching the "Steam Age's" left side.

This dangerous maneuver caused all the sailors to rush to the port side of the deck and hurl insults at the Coast Guard vessel. It also reminded Qin Mo of the brave and daring destroyer of the Celestial Empire in her previous life, the destroyer that had once filled her with immense pride.

At extremely close range, the Chinese destroyer passed the American destroyer at high speed with a small angle, and ultimately forced the American to turn and give way. This was a contest of technology, as well as a battle of courage. Those without courage can only surrender when faced with the challenge of a warrior.

Qin Mo is now having the "Steam Age" act like a coward, and look at the jubilant sailors on the Coast Guard, they clearly feel they've done something remarkable.

However, the "Steam Age" was not forced to turn around by this dangerous "cutting off" maneuver. Moreover, a large group of sailors were still shouting and cursing loudly through megaphones. The rough men who made a living at sea cursed in a way that insulted the women of your ancestors for eighteen generations, which made the Coast Guard's speedboat turn back again.

This time it got even closer and its actions were more dangerous.

"Slow down...slow down again...maintain course, make them slow down too...okay...that's it..."

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